Trafficking in persons; penalties. (HB716)

Introduced By

Progress

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Introduced

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Passed Committee

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Passed House

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Passed Senate

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Signed by Governor

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Became Law

Description

Trafficking in persons; penalties. Creates new felonies for trafficking in persons for forced labor or sexual servitude and adds the new felonies as a predicate criminal act under the criminal gang statute, as racketeering crimes, and to the functions of a multijurisdiction grand jury, and also allows seizure and forfeiture of property used in committing such felonies. The new felonies and the existing felony of receiving money for procuring a person are added to the rape shield statute. The bill also makes sexual servitude an affirmative defense to the crime of prostitution and allows a petition for a child in need of services to be substituted for a delinquency petition for certain minors arrested for prostitution, disallows the release of certain victim information, specifies law-enforcement protocol for victims who may not be legally present, requires persons convicted of the new felonies to pay restitution that compensates for the victim's labor, and creates a civil action for trafficked persons. The Secretary of Public Safety is required to convene an anti-trafficking committee and the Virginia Prevention of Human Trafficking Victim Fund is created, which will be administered by the Department of Criminal Justice Services. Amends § 17.1-805, § 18.2-346, § 18.2-46.1, § 18.2-513, § 18.2-67.7, § 19.2-11.2, § 19.2-215.1, § 19.2-305.1, § 19.2-386.32, of the Code of Virginia.Read the Bill »